Upgrades, repairs moving ahead on Broomfield city spaces

County Commons, Community Center projects underway; new HHS building still on track for April opening

Upgrades and repairs to some of Broomfield's most loved and most used facilities are in the works, and a replacement space for another growing department is marching toward completion.

Changes are on the way for the Broomfield Community Center and Broomfield County Commons, and construction is forging ahead on a new Health and Human Services building.

City staff is halfway through the design phase for the Broomfield Community Center.

Major renovations to the center are expected to begin in May, according to city staff.

Broomfield is expected to spend about $3.6 million on repairs and upgrades, which primarily include replacing/building new locker rooms and installing a new fitness center and an elevator that meets Americans with Disabilities Act standards.

The center is a 66,900-square-foot building that includes the recreation center and Senior Center. It was built in 1974 and remodeled in 1991 to include the Senior Center.

Broomfield's other high-traffic recreation center, the Paul Derda Recreation Center provides space for about 20 percent of recreation programs, but has more space for drop-in visits for visitors who use the gym, pool, weight room, cardio equipment and indoor playground, according to a staff memo.

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Underway now are field improvement renovations at County Commons. The improvements will include replacement of the turf on Championship Field, which was originally installed in 2003. Other renovations will include a field expansion, dubbed the "Yellow Pod," $3.69 million of which was funded in 2015 with another $1 million approved this year for parking improvements and eventual relocation of the dog park.

Work also includes new turf and access modifications to the Blue Pod, according to a post on the city's website, broomfield.org.

The County Commons complex is host to numerous youth football and soccer games, as well as annual special events such as Recreation Services' annual Super Bowl Sunday fun run, the annual Neighborhood Night Out and the July 4 Great American Picnic.

Also underway is the new Health and Human Services building, which broke ground in April and is eight months into an 11-month construction schedule.

Oz Architecture is building the project, which sits on a 5.6 acre property at Spader Way and First Avenue.

Construction is slated to end March 15, with the building opening in early April.

The building design is meant to provide more room for HHS to offer its routine services. The current, cramped space in Garden Center is often restrictive, because there is little room to have meetings with patrons or offer private spaces to host supervised parental visitations, Health and Human Services Director Debbie Oldenettel said last year.

Oldenettel last year told City Council the HHS building is so small that employees sometimes have to meet with families in community settings, such as parks.

So far the project, which includes purchasing the land and design to construction, is budgeted for $16.5 million.

The final round of budget approvals from City Council will include furniture and equipment that will outfit the building.

The Broomfield Public Art Committee this summer selected work by Lyons artist John King to be installed at the building. King's work was chosen from 100 submissions that were narrowed to three semi-finalists.

His design calls for a movable "outdoor kinetic sculpture" — engineered to withstand high winds — outside the building's main entrance; a "lobby interactive" piece suspended from the ceiling; and a "main hall interactive" piece in a first-floor hallway, incorporating "light touch and slow motion."

The budget for the public art project is $100,000 — not included in the $16.5 million budget for the building, but rather from the Capital Improvement Program fund; 1 percent of that fund is designated for public art.

The HHS building is part of a vision for the Civic Center project, which aims to create a downtown-like meeting spot with a mix of shops, green space, apartments and restaurants in the area of First Avenue and Main Street. The area includes the library and auditorium, police and courts building, George Di Ciero City and County Building and North Metro Fire Rescue District headquarters.

Two developers have pitched plans for the area, and both plans include the Safeway building at 120th Avenue and Main Street, which the city in September agreed to purchase for $3.6 million.

The 5.5-acre parcel includes the building, which the grocer vacated in August 2014, and the parking lot. Staff anticipates the existing store will be redeveloped or removed from the site to allow it to be part of the Civic Center plan.

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